In Praise of Sabbaticals
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 12:38PM A pastor friend of mine recalls meeting with one of his leaders. His leader, a good friend, had noticed that my pastor friend was not operating as well as he could. "Either get back in the game," he said, "or make a change." A few months later, my pastor friend had resigned.
A few months later he found himself refreshed and full of energy again. He didn't need to resign; he only needed a break.
That story's stuck with me. I'm convinced that many pastors get to the same point and don't know what to do. Often they end up withdrawing from ministry, or simply moving to a new church, rather than getting the break they need.
I took a sabbatical last summer. At the time, I wasn't sure what it would do in my life. When I returned in September, to be honest, I couldn't tell the difference. But I've noticed in the past year that I am in a much healthier place. When I've taken time off this summer, I've enjoyed it, but I've also looked forward to getting back to work. That's very different from a year ago.
If you're a leader in a church, please consider giving your pastor a sabbatical, especially if he's been there a long time and has never taken one. If you're a pastor, suck it up and be honest with your leaders about your need for a break. Sabbaticals don't cure every problem, but they may be just what many pastors need.
Reader Comments (3)
I am currently on a sabbatical, and definitely recommend it. I was headed for the exit, and don't believe I would still be in ministry without the possibility of a sabbatical being offered. I was depressed and not engaging much for almost a year. The congregation was too small to afford offering a sabbatical, but I applied for a grant. Against the odds (over 400 applied and 37 were granted), I got a sabbatical grant through the Louisville Institute. The deadline for application is August 31 - I encourage pastors to apply! Receiving a grant made it possible to get through until I could take the sabbatical and have opportunity to step back for a while and see the bigger picture. I spent July in Israel in a program at Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies. This month I am in a personal spiritual retreat at a Benedictine retreat house. What a blessing it is to step away, and for people in the congregation to step up. BTW - I'm in my first call, in the 7th year of ministry, in a rural congregation.
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